How To Find & Hire Great Engineers (in 7 steps)

Hiring engineers in the current landscape is challenging. Engineers are in high demand, which means they can pick and choose which jobs to apply for. For recruiters, this presents a unique challenge. How do you attract top engineering talent and encourage them to come work for you? Let’s take a closer look at the steps you can take to recruit great engineers.

When looking at the fastest growing jobs of 2019 across the world, the word "Engineer" appears almost more than any other. From Robotics Engineers, Full Stack Engineers and Data Engineers to Site Reliability Engineers, Software Engineers and Cloud Engineers, there will be no shortage in demand for these hot positions in the coming years.

In America alone, the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) found in May 2020 that the unemployment rate for computing occupations was 2.5%. That’s 11.5% lower than the national average. This low unemployment rate shows just how in-demand engineering roles are today.

A global skills shortage means that there are lots of opportunities out there for engineers to develop their career. The fact that engineers can choose from a range of jobs makes them hard to find and even harder to recruit.

Add to that a lack of awareness about STEM careers in schools, which often means fewer people seeking out jobs or further education in the engineering sector, and you'll see why it's not easy to find the best engineers for your team.

Because great engineers are hard to find, recruiters need to have a plan and devote more time than usual to hiring these unicorns. To help you in your search, we’ve outlined these 7 essential steps:

Step 1: Become the company engineers want to work for

To attract engineers, you need to become the type of company they want to work for. Although money is important, it’s only a short-term motivator. Those who have their pick of the top jobs look at factors beyond salary.

For example, some engineers may be attracted to roles where they can have an impact and see the positive results of their work. Many also look for learning and development opportunities and the chance to upskill. 

As a company, you may want to consider investing in learning and development opportunities, or take on more ambitious projects that will appeal to top-tier engineers.